Chapter 8
Alaric came to my house to pick me up.
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As soon as I got in the car, he pulled me over and held me on his lap.
He held me tightly, buried his head in my neck, and pleaded with a trembling voice. “Don’t believe him, not a single word.”
“Okay,” I patted his back and replied briefly, “I only trust you.”
Alaric lifted his head, tears clinging to his eyelashes.
With my guidance, he learned to let his walls down.
–
Whether he was hurt, sad, whatever he actually told me now instead of playing mute.
He pleaded, “Just… don’t see him anymore, okay? Today’s too hard for me.
“When you didn’t pick up… I thought my heart would stop…”
“Don’t talk like that.” I covered his mouth. “You’re stuck with me till we’re old and gray.”
That threw him off his pity party. He just stared at me, lost.
I messed up his hair, grinning, “If you don’t want me seeing him,
Chapter 8
I won’t. Only reached out for your sake anyway.
“Babe, you golla stop doubling yourself.”
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I grabbed his hand. “Screw what others think. I trust what I see, what I hear, and what comes out of your mouth.
“You’re amazing, honey. Stop selling yourself short.”
Alaric’s got major trust issues.
Don’t know what fucked him up, but it turned him into this shy, broken thing. Especially with love – like a lost puppy who thought he didn’t deserve it.
These days, I showered him with compliments. His looks, his brains, his success, even his manicure – I call it all perfect.
Confidence was the only way to kill that fear.
I wanted him actually enjoy this relationship. Not walking on eggshells, trying to read my mind or bend over backwards to make me happy. That made no sense.
“Listen up, I can think for myself. Other people’s bullshit won’t change how I see you.”
I wrapped myself around him.
“I picked you, didn’t I? That means you get the real me no games, no ghosting.
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“Besides, you’re way too good to give up. I’d be an idiot to let someone else snag you.”
His eyes lit up.
He’s got warmth now, life. Not just some empty shell waiting to
crumble.
Guess I left my mark on him after all.
I could probably guess that Alaric’s upbringing caused him a lot of pain.
But when he held me and started sharing his past, I was still a bit surprised.
“He hated me for coming between him and his mom, always hoping I’d die early.”
From the moment he was born, his father wanted him gone.
How could such a parent–child relationship exist?
My heart ached, and I tightly held his hand in return.
“But your mother loves you.”
“She doesn’t.”
Alaric smile bitterly as he said, “She’s just tied down by blood.”
“She’s different from you. Though she’s a well–educated woman,
Chapter 8
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deep down she adheres to the traditional belief of supporting her husband and raising children.”
“My birth made her rebellion seem ridiculous. Her sense of
morality stopped her from abandoning me, but raising me alone made it hard to maintain a decent life.”
“In the end, she could only bow to reality.”
His voice shook, eyes going red, glazed with tears like a rain–soaked window.
Seeing him broken like this hurt.
“Their mess isn’t yours. You broke that curse already.”
I pressed my cheek to his chest. “You’ve done enough to make anyone proud. Even your mom.”
His smile was all pain.
His hand brushed my hair. “You’re the only one who thinks I deserve love.”
“So don’t leave me.”
His arms tightened desperately, chin buried in my
“If you don’t want me… I’ll shatter.”
